Department of Pharmacology and Physiology

The Saint Louis University Department of Pharmacology and Physiology has achieved
national recognition in graduate education and research.

Since 1985, we have awarded more than 73 Ph.Ds. In addition, members of the department
have mentored Ph.D students in the areas of cell and molecular biology, biology and
pathology. Many of our alumni have prominent positions in academia, government and
industry.

We have an excellent success record in obtaining funding from recognized agencies
such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The NIH has awarded the department with its prestigious and highly competitive training
grants, which are awarded to only a few programs nationwide each year and indicate
the high quality of our program.

Graduate Program in Pharmacology and Physiology

Students may enter our graduate program in pharmacology and physiology in one of three
ways:

After successfully completing the SLU School of Medicine’s one-year core graduate
program in biomedical sciences

Directly (For advanced students — those with M.S. degrees or experience at other institutions)

As dual-degree M.D./Ph.D. students

Recent Pharmacology and Physiology Grants

Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D. was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health
and the National Institute on Drug Abuse grant for research into the role of peroxynitrite
in morphine hyperalgesia and tolerance.

Opioid drugs such as morphine are the most effective analgesics for treating acute
and severe chronic pain. Their pain-relieving action, however, is often diminished
during chronic administration, necessitating dose escalation that reduces quality
of life for the patient.

Salvemini’s work will help elucidate the mechanisms and pathways in which the toxic
by-product of superoxide and nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, negatively impacts opioid-induced
analgesia. The outcome of this research will provide a novel mechanistic rationale
for development of potent peroxynitrite-targeted therapies to maintain adequate pain
relief during repetitive dosing for chronic pain, without engendering tolerance or
unacceptable side-effects, thus addressing a large unmet medical need with major socioeconomic
consequences.

Recent Honors and Awards

Willis K. Samson Ph.D., D.Sc., has been elected by the membership of the American
Physiological Society to serve on its governing council and to serve as editor-in-chief
of the American Journal of Physiology.